Prelude to a Battle
by UnfrozenPopsicle
Summary: Gary's on his way to the Silver Conference, when he suddenly remembers someone who urges him to set his priorities straight. Palletshipping.
1. Chapter 1

-_Hi! Yes people, I'm still not dead. This was actually the first fic I ever wrote, so excuse the slight cheesiness and whatnot. Reviews wouldn't hurt, you know, I need to know how it turned out :P_

Gary Oak was walking along a road in the Johto region, admiring the eight badges he already had acquired. "Heh, I already have enough badges to compete in thePokémon League! Wait 'till Ash finds out, he's gonna be so jealous!..."

...Ash Ketchum, his childhood friend, now turned rivals. He was the one to blame for creating the rivalry, though. It was something he hated, but it was necessary. It was the only way he could hide his true feelings for him and the rest of the world. He didn't even consider himself gay, he only felt that way for him.

Suddenly, his heart went heavy. He hadn't seen Ash in a few months, and he missed him so terribly it physically hurt him. On top of that, he always thought Ash had a crush on Misty, even if they did frequently fight whenever he saw them. He had lots of proof supporting this theory, but he wasn't gonna think about it at the moment. Not when he was so close to the Silver Conference. No, he had to be focused, unless he wanted to lose and make a fool of himself in front of so many people, which was obviously not the case. He couldn't jeopardize everything he had worked so hard for.

It was starting to get dark, and he realized he was tired, so he pulled out his map and looked for the nearest Pokémon Center, which was in Cherrygrove City. "Guess I'll just have to sleep here, then.", he told himself. He walked for 20 minutes or so, until he finally reached the Pokémon Center. When he finally got a room, he changed into his pajamas and let himself fall into the bed. He quickly fell asleep, but couldn't escape from his thoughts about Ash.

Gary woke up in the middle of the night, in tears and sweating. He was having a nightmare, in which Ash and Misty were kissing passionately in front of him. The stream of tears trickled steadily down his cheek as he remembered the dreaded nightmare, and realized that his worst fear might come true if he didn't end the rivalry soon. He suddenly felt alone, so he let out Umbreon from his Poké Ball. The black fox-like Pokémon materialized before his eyes and nuzzled him in affection. "Umbre!", he cried happily in greeting. "Hey there, Umbreon, mind if you keep me company for a while?", Gary asked, and Umbreon nodded happily. He fell asleep again, tightly embracing the Pokémon in his arms.

* * *

The next morning, Gary woke up feeling rested, with Umbreon beside him in the bed. He took a shower, dressed up and recalled his Pokémon into its Poké Ball before leaving the Pokémon Center. Just before heading out, he remembered that he intended to call his grandfather, Professor Oak, to inform him of his journey. He hurried over to the video caller and dialed his grandfather's number.

"Why hello, Gary! How's the journey so far?"

"Hey Gramps, I got enough badges already, so I'm heading over to the Silver Conference."

"That's excellent, Gary! Ash called me a few days ago and told me that he also won enough badges and that he was going to the Silver Conference too, so you two just might face off in battle over there."

Gary's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Ash's name, yet he kept it to himself and cockily answered, "Ha! As if he'd stand a chance against me!"

"Now, Gary, Ash has become much stronger since you last saw him, so I suggest you don't take him lightly.", said Prof. Oak sternly.

"Sure Gramps... Anyways, I have to go now, so I'll talk to you later." He said carelessly, and hanged up the phone.

As soon as Gary hanged up the phone, he thought about the consequences of battling Ash in the Silver Conference. If he won, everything would stay the same and the rivalry would never end. But if he lost, Ash would finally feel superior and the rivalry could finally end, and things could be like before. Before Gary started liking Ash the way he did, when they were the best of friends, when all they had was each other... No, those carefree days are long gone now. He had to face Ash in battle, and the only way he could fix everything and put an end to the rivalry was if he lost. There's no other way around it, he had to lose. Even if it meant disappointing his Pokémon and everybody that believed in him, he had to if he wanted to take a shot at Ash. It was his deepest desire.

Putting these thoughts aside, he walked eastward towards New Bark Town, which was his next stop before crossing over to Kanto. He stocked up on supplies at the Poké Mart and hit the road when he was done, carefully planning out the losing strategy he was going to use on his battle with Ash.


	2. Chapter 2

-_Hey there, people! Here's chapter 2, so enjoy! Next chapters coming soon! Don't forget to review :)_

Gary crossed Route 29, the road between Cherrygrove City and New Bark Town, in less than a day. He arrived at New Bark Town as soon as it got dark, and it turns out that the quaint little town didn't have a Pokémon Center or a hotel. Great, just what he needed, no place to sleep. Just as he was about to take the sleeping bag out of the backpack, a middle aged man with glasses and a lab coat bumped into him.

"Are you Gary Oak?", the man asked him. "In the flesh!" Gary smirked.

"You're Professor Oak's grandson! I'm Professor Elm, I once was your grandfather's student!," he excitedly added before asking a visibly worried Gary "Uh, is something the matter? It's not normal for a trainer like you to be alone at night on a town like this.."

Gary explained, "I'm on my way to the Silver Conference, but it got dark and I found myself here, and I have no place to spend the night unless I camp out."

Elm gave him a surprised look, and said "Well, why didn't you say so? You can stay over at my house! It'll be an honor to welcome Professor Oak's grandson into my house!"

Gary quickly accepted the offer, relieved because he didn't have to camp out in the open. Two hours later, after he ate something and took a shower, he threw himself into the bed Professor Elm had in the guest room. Thoughts about Ash flooded his mind, just like any other night, and with them came his worst nightmare, Ash having a crush on Misty. Maybe if he somehow erased Misty from the map... No, Ash would hate him for that. Gary loved him; he couldn't risk having Ash hate him even more. If he DID hate him, that is.

Failing in his attempts to remove Ash from his mind, he summoned Umbreon from its Poké Ball and told him to keep him company. Umbreon's presence made Gary feel safe and protected from any harm. The Pokémon acted like a stuffed doll of some sorts, keeping him company every time he felt desolate.

"You know what, Umbreon? You're the only one who listens to me and keeps me company when I'm sad and alone." Gary told the Pokémon, who purred and nuzzled him affectionately. Overwhelmed by his thoughts, he fell asleep, with Umbreon curled beside him.

* * *

The next morning, Gary video called his grandfather to tell him where exactly he was. "Hey Gramps, I'm in New Bark Town at Professor Elm's, I'm about to leave to Kanto."

Before Oak could even say a word, Professor Elm ran over to the video caller and screamed, "Oh my God! It's Professor Oak! I can't believe it, it's been so long!" Startled, Oak answered, "Why, Elm, it's been a while! How has everything been over there in Johto?" Elm happily said "Everything's fine over here! In fact, I've made some amazing discoveries about Pokémon breeding! You just have to see it!"

Oak awkwardly said, "That's wonderful, Elm. Now, Gary, you call me as soon as you get the chance, the road to Kanto is pretty harsh."

Waking up from his reverie, Gary smirked, "You don't have to worry about me, Gramps, I'm a pretty strong trainer, after all." Gary's sudden change in tone didn't surprise Professor Oak, and he sighed, "Well then, suit yourself. I still want you to call me whenever you get the chance." With that, the Professor hung up the phone and Gary bid farewell to Professor Elm before walking towards New Bark Town's coast.

As soon as Gary saw the coastline, he reached into his belt, pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it in front of him. "Blastoise, I choose you!," the huge turtle Pokémon appeared in front of him and let out a cry of greeting.

"Blastoise, I need you to Surf me over to Kanto from here, can you do that?"

"Blaastoise!", the Pokémon answered affirmatively. It then leaped into the water and let Gary mount its back, before they were off to Kanto. Gary couldn't stop thinking about Ash on the way, though, he was worried about the battle. The battle that would decide what would happen to their future. The battle that would make a difference in the relationship between them.


	3. Chapter 3

-_ Okay, so... Looks like the chapters are shorter than I thought, sorry about that... Enjoy, I guess. Remember to review on your way out! :P_

Tohjo Falls. The link between Kanto and Johto. Gary couldn't believe he had come this far. He WAS Gary Oak though, the best trainer from Pallet Town, so it didn't come out as a surprise. He ordered Blastoise to use Waterfall to climb up the raging wall of water. The Pokémon quickly followed his orders, climbing up the enormous waterfall. He then found himself at the top of a mountain, and the only way down the mountain was another waterfall, just as big as the one he climbed.

"Skarmory, go!" he threw a Poké Ball, and from it came out a metallic bird of an enormous size. He ordered it to carry him over down the waterfall, to which the Skarmory nodded affirmatively and promply carried him down the waterfall. "Thanks Skarmory, you deserve a good rest," Gary said before recalling the Skarmory to its Poké Ball.

He then found himself in Route 26, which was crawling with very skilled trainers, all of them on their way to the Silver Conference. Trainer after trainer, Gary quickly disposed of their Pokémon with ease. If his Pokémon got hurt in battle, he just thought, "This is all for you, Ashy-boy," he thought. He soon proceeded to heal his team with hyper potions and full heals, in case he found another trainer. He soon found another tough trainer, but he quickly plowed through the other trainer's Pokémon. Literally. That's how tough he was.

"Heh, if these are the trainers I'm gonna be facing in the Silver Conference, it's gonna be a piece of cake!" he said to himself.

"Arcanine, use Fire Blast!" the giant dog-like Pokémon spit out a massive wall of fire that quickly made short work of the Tangela he was battling. The trainer recalled the Tangela and ran away, fearing for his safety. "Humph, weakling," he thought.

After walking for a few minutes, he suddenly smelled smoke. What could be burning? He looked back to see a raging inferno of a forest fire consuming the area. "Oh, no! That must have been Arcanine's Fire Blast! I started the fire!" he realized with terror.

"Come on out, Blastoise! Use Hydro Pump to put out the flames!" the turtle Pokémon appeared and fired thick jets of water from the cannons on its back. It was too late. The fire was too strong. The fire quickly re-ignited itself wherever Hydro Pump had put it out. Gary was starting to feel somewhat light-headed. Was it the smoke? Was it his nerves? He didn't know, but a minute later he found himself unconscious, again drifting into a sea of thoughts about Ash. Drowning himself in his feelings and sadly realizing he maybe died without seeing Ash for the last time.


	4. Chapter 4

_- *sigh*... Yep! Next chapter's finally here. I apologize for the cheesiness and whatnot, remember it was my first fic ever. I'm much better now ;) I'm guessing there must be like two chapters left, so stay tuned! Remember the review button :)_

Still lost in thoughts about Ash. So vivid, he could almost hear his voice calling his name. "Gary! Gary!" he heard Ash cry out in desperation. He didn't even know if he was dead or not. Was his mind playing a cruel joke on him? Were the angels deceiving him? He didn't know. But Ash's voice became clearer by the second and he felt himself regaining his consciousness.

"Gary, are you okay? Wake up, Gary, come on!" he heard Ash screaming. He finally opened his eyes, finding himself in a room he quickly identified as a Pokémon Center. He found Ash in tears, cradling him in his arms, and he vaguely recalled a similar scene on his mind, two years ago in the Viridian City Gym. Except this time Ash was crying. Concerned about his safety. He couldn't believe this. Ash Ketchum? Concerned over Gary Oak's safety? Impossible, he had to be dreaming. But it felt so real...

"Ash...," Gary said weakly. What exactly had happened that brought him to this state? He couldn't remember... That's right, the fire! "Ash, the fire! It's gonna spread out and people are gonna be hurt!" he said, concerned.

"Don't worry about the fire, Gary, the firefighters sent out a team of Blastoise to put it out," Ash calmly said. This made Gary feel relieved, and a lot safer. Yet, he had other thoughts on his mind. Questions that needed to be answered. How did he end up in here? Who saved him from the fire? Were his Pokémon okay? And how did Ash wind up with him? He felt a strong pang of pain on his head, and he flinched at the outburst.

"Gary!" Ash screamed. "I'm okay, Ash, I just have a really strong headache. Are my Pokémon okay?"

"They're okay, Nurse Joy's taking care of them." Perfect, his Pokémon were okay. Now, for the other questions...

"Ash, what exactly happened over there at the fire? I need to know...," Gary asked. "Well, Brock, Misty and I were walking over to Silver Town, when all of a sudden we smell the smoke and ran over to the fire. We found you lying unconscious on the ground, so I picked you up and brought you here," Ash explained. So Ash had also picked him up... Gary cursed himself for not being awake to live the moment.

"Where exactly are we anyway, Ash?"

"This is the Pokémon Center in Viridian City. We're really close to Silver Town from here, we just need to cross the Indigo Plateau gate," Ash answered him. Suddenly, the sound of a stretcher's wheels became louder and louder, until Nurse Joy appeared with Ash's Pikachu on a stretcher. The small electric mouse was lying down, and burns were visible on its tiny body.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out before running towards the Pokémon. "Is he gonna be okay, Nurse Joy?"

Nurse Joy answered, "Your Pikachu's out of danger, but his burns were pretty serious. I'd suggest you try not to pressure him too much, otherwise he could get hurt." To this, Ash inquired, "Will he be able to battle at the Silver Conference?" and Nurse Joy said, "He shouldn't battle for a few weeks until he's completely healed. Now I'll send Pikachu into the recovery room, so wait here."

"So Ash, where are Misty and Brock?" Gary asked. "They're helping the Blastoise put out the fire. I hope they're okay..." Gary noticed Ash's sudden change of mood, and he felt somewhat sad, because he was expressing his concern towards Misty and Brock. Jealousy? Perhaps.

"Ash, I gotta ask you something... Why did you save me from the fire? I mean, you hate me, don't you? You could have let me die..."

To this, Ash answered, "I wasn't gonna let you die, Gary. Come on, I wouldn't let my best friend die caramelized in a forest fire! You saved me from Team Rocket at the Viridian Gym, so I felt like I had a debt to repay you...". Gary couldn't believe his ears. All this time he thought Ash hated him, when he really considered him to be his best friend? But how? After all those years Gary put him down and made fun of him... At the time, all Gary could do was stare surprised at Ash, until he told him, "You should rest, Gary, you've been through a lot and your burns might get worse."

So Gary lied down and fell asleep, finally at peace, knowing Ash didn't hate him or held any grudges against him.


End file.
